Really digging this recent post by Seth Godin, where he talks about the "advantage of the small."

What advantage is that, you ask? The advantage of getting personal with prospects and clients. The ability to build relationships versus email contacts.

Here's a taste:

Small organizations have the privilege of looking their customers in the eye. Small doesn't necessarily mean small in numbers. It's an attitude. Does your organization require a form to get something done, or does one human choose to interact with another?

Conference Calls Unlimited has gone so far as to practically ban email in communication with clients. They call you after each call to see how it went. When I went to Stanford, the director of admissions called every single person they admitted to share the news. Compare that to the anonymous ALL CAPITAL LETTERS notes you get from your car insurance company. [Emphasis mine]

Here's a challenge for this week, ends Godin: "Try to do as much as you can in person. Or by phone. Especially the hard stuff."